The Mountain Thymes

It was a crisp set-up at the farmers market yesterday.  I wore sandals and capris as I was expecting a quick warm-up as the sun hit our tent.  My toes and ankles were cold until about 11.  I kept standing in the sun to thaw out.  Karen and Bob from Deltona are RVing at the KOA  and stopped at the market to visit and buy some Swiss chard.  Once the sun burned off the mountain fog and the air warmed up we had a good crowd of visitors walk around the market.  Next Saturday we'll  set up with the Ramp and BBQ Festival so we should see an even better flow of people.  It's not about the money anyway. It's a connection with the farm community, other vendors and an entertaining way to spend some Saturday mornings. The market gives me a place to get rid the things I love to create.  Later in the afternoon, we grilled zucchini, summer squash, and kielbasa.  Karen and I threw together a salad with fresh garden merlot lettuce and other greens a...

So far April has brought no showers and it's been very windy, more like March.  By this time, leaves are usually plump with moisture and things look new and fresh.  I'm checking on the vegetables daily, watering often while the roots are getting established.  A possibility of rain is due through the night with a better chance tomorrow.  Cliff helped me build six permanent raised beds of varying sizes this year which cuts the tilling area to about half.  Next year I'll just loosen the soil with a garden fork and throw in some more compost in late winter/early spring.  We both are pleased with the raised beds.  They may be easier for me to plant in when I'm 85 as long as I don't trip on an exposed tree root and roll all the way down to the creek. Spinach and kale. sugar snap sweet peas Rhubarb has flourished this year.  I added lots of compost to the soil, threw in some onions in front of them and few radishes.  This year I'm sticking ...

Saw our first hummingbird perch and drink from the kitchen window feeder at 1:56 this afternoon.  The feeders have been out for two weeks as citizen observers have reported sightings only 60 miles south of us and many other sightings posted at latitudes north of us.  This bird was well-nourished, not the typical skinny hungry first hummingbirds that show up wearily at the feeders. Today's weather was crazy.  It was more "in like a lion" March weather than April weather. We had wind gusts of 22 mph followed by dark clouds and bands of rain, then five minutes of sun before another burst of rain and wind hit.  There are freeze watches and warnings for higher elevations the next couple of nights. Birds are checking out real estate for nesting. When I'm down in the garden, I get to watch the Carolina chickadees going in and out of this house. They have a conversation while jumping from branch to branch before going inside. Instead of buying nesting material for ...

When I come across a recipe that's good for what ails you, I think back to late nineteenth-century America when traveling salesmen entertained crowds of believers with their elixirs, herbal remedies, and miracle cures.  These traveling shows featured music, juggling, and over-blown rhetoric mixed with testimonials and stunts that demonstrated cures.  These were the early infomercials.  Recently I came across an article that started "holding a bit more weight than you'd like?"  Naturally, I kept reading.  This winter added another 7 pounds around the waist and hips. I discovered a formula for a Detox Elixir.  It claimed the cayenne pepper revs up the metabolism by warming the body and burning more calories.  Cinnamon reduces blood sugar and LDL (bad cholesterol) and increases insulin levels. Lemon adds flavors and cleansing power.  All of those are true. The Formula:    * 8 ounces hot water    * 2 dashes cayenne pepper ...

Last week we moved the furniture from the back porch to the front and finished staining the rest of the back together, which went much quicker than when I did it alone.  Cliff did this part last year but weather exposed areas need it yearly.  Placing furniture on the open porch gives it a true North Carolina feel. Georgia and Tennessee families also add a refrigerator, a couch, and sometimes a washing machine to their porch decor. Arranged furniture to reflect a North Carolina feng shui appeal and a path to the back.  Next time we get 3 or 4 drying days, we'll finish this last piece of porch and the steps.........until fall when this part will need a refresh. Potatoes drying before planting. In the back raised bed, sugar snap peas beginning to trellis the jute teepee. This year I'm trying a different method for potatoes that I read about in Mother Earth News Magazine.  Using a 2'x2', 4'x4', or 6'x6' raised bed prepared with compost,decayin...

It's Easter morning.  My mother visited me during my sleep and when I woke at 5:30 cuddled under my quilt, she was still warmly present in my heart and my mind.  The first quilt she ever made was the schoolhouse pattern.  Years ago when I was teaching in Florida and not realizing how much time was involved, I asked her to make this quilt after seeing it in a magazine.  Being wrapped in my quilt is comforting when I need soothing and warming on chilly nights. Just the other day I was trying to recall how many years ago she made it. So with my mother vividly on my mind and feeling quite contented, I randomly pulled out one of the four boxes of all letters saved from the the twenty something years she wrote to me when we lived in Florida.  The letters are catalogued by years.  I keep saying I'm going to sit and refine the order by months but I get so entranced in memories, the task never gets done.  The first letter I picked up was  December 31, 1...

Four generations together doing what we do best.....................eating Baskin Robbins ice-cream in Lexington, Kentucky.  On the left, Matthew, me, and Ciff, (Papa).  On the right.  Alexandra, Taelor, Christopher, Carolyn, and John, (Grampy).  Not sure what to have children call me.  Great-Grammy seems like a mouthful.  Also, didn't think to ask Carolyn what she calls herself around the children.  Christopher thinking about where to attack his ice-cream first. Alex just minutes before she had it on her forehead and dribbling down her sweater.                                                     John and Carolyn It was cold and windy Saturday evening in Lexington.  We met Matthew and ...